it's getting hot out here

While describing my dune climb in the Mojave Desert, there would be no way doing this in one of the hottest places, Death Valley. We slept in sight of the highest thermometer in the world (yes, they do it biiig), which measures 134 feet. The equivalent temperature (56°C) was measured in 1937 or so. And really, it is insanely hot. When standing inside the Park, in the large valley of death, there is a constant wind, which feels exactly like a huge hair blower directed at you. Still, facing 116°F, I barely ever swet, which is so nice. However, physical excercise is torture. You cant stand any ten minutes outside without a bottle of water in front of your mouth. In the center of the valley, Bad Water is the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere (who the heck knows what this exactly is?), - 78 m below see level. Few miles away, mountains as high as 2800 meters arise. Star Wars and many other movies were shot here, which makes perfect sense considering the the moon like rock formations.
After driving and walking through heat and dryness (around 0 % humidity, 6 cm precipitation per year in average) an ice cold beer at Furnace Creek oasis (well chosen name!) feels sooo good.
To further illustrate the present heat, it is interesting to see that "cold" water from the tab is still so warm, that even I take ice in it, which does not last long melting in minutes. Warm tab water is therefore as steamy hot, that you can easily prepare a tea right away, true story.
In the information and visitor centers everywhere around the parks, friendly staffs welcome you, giving true advice about what to see and do. And there is free stuff everywhere, wifi in the middle of nowhere. One lady in a flea market store in tiny Shoshone, which is a really cute place with 47 (?) inhabitants at the entrance to Death Valley, was so excited about our visit, that she felt like giving us one of the self painted travel bags crafted by herself.
Driving and climbing up the sourrunding mountains in Death Valley brings cooler Temperatures. Actually, at around 2200 m hight, it gets already chilly, in the middle of the desert. At the trail head in a remote valley, 7 charcole kilns (Holzkohle Meiler) from 1879 (!) are still standing there like being in use, since they had only produced charcole for 3 years. Such relicts of the times of gold rush can be found all over the place, and its impressive to imagine how people have been living under such severe conditions more than hundrets of years ago.